‘Assassins’ calls up a killer cast

Sills, Gemignani, Garrison, Harris topline B'Way legiter

The Roundabout Theater company has announced the full cast for its Broadway production of “Assassins,” the Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman musical about presidential assassination in America.

Featured in the ensemble are Douglas Sills as John Wilkes Booth, Alexander Gemignani as John Hinckley, Mary Catherine Garrison as Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme and Neil Patrick Harris doing double duty as Lee Harvey Oswald and the balladeer.

It also covers some of history’s infamous footnotes, men and women who tried and failed to bring an end to the presidencies of James Garfield, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and William McKinley. Those presidents’ respective would-be assassins will be played by Denis O’Hare as Charles Guiteau, Raul Esparza as Giuseppe Zangara, Mario Cantone as Samuel Byck, Becky Ann Baker as Sara Jane Moore and John Dossett as Leon Czolgosz. Matthew Bennett, James Clow and Brandon Wardell round out the cast.

Joe Mantello helms the upcoming Roundabout production. Last year he directed a workshop of the musical for the not-for-profit theater company.

“Assassins” had its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in January 1991, with a cast that included Jace Alexander, Victor Garber, Annie Golden and Debra Monk under the direction of Jerry Zaks.

Although the show has many regional productions over the years, “Assassins” is one of the few Sondheim shows not to have played Broadway. Despite its 10-year performing history, the tuner will presumably be eligible for a Tony Award as best musical of the new Broadway season.